Improvement in car-axle boxes



`J. A.'P.]VAUGLA1N.

Gar Axle BQX.

No. 201,469. Patented March 19.11818.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

JOHN A. P. vAUcLAIN, on LA EAYETTE, INDIANA, AssIGNoE on ONE-HALE HISRIGHT TO HARRY HARRISON, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

'IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-AXLE BOXES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,169, dated March 19,1878; application iled September 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoEN A. l?. VAUcLAIN, of La Fayette, county ofTippecanoe, and State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railway Car Axle Boxes, which improvement is fullysetforth inthe following specication and accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective View of my axlebox with the door raised.- Fig.2 is a sectional view, showing the inside of the box, the catchpin- C,catch-chamber H I, the spiral spring D, the groove G, and recess R.

The object of my invention is the construction of railway-car axle-boxesin such a manner that their caps or covers cannot be removed from themwhile being opened for flllin g, and so that they cannot be lost by themoving of the cars or the jarring of the trucks; and a further objectbeing that, in the construction and use of said boxes, nuts, bolts, andscrews are entirely dispensed with.

My invention consists in providing the face of the box with grooves orflanges on each side of the opening, wedging or tapering toward thelower end, a cap or cover inserted .in the grooves wedging to correspondwith the grooves, the cap or cover having in its rear face a groove,with a recess in the lower end of the groove; also, in providing acatchpin, spiral spring, and catch-chamber at the top of the box, allconstructed in such a manner that the cap cannot be removed or lost byuse or wear, and dispensing entirely with l bolts, nuts, and screws.

In the drawing, A represents a cast-iron axle-box, cast with anges orgrooves at either side of the opening, the grooves tapering -or wedgingfrom top to bottom. B is the cover or cap, with its side edgeswedge-shaped, to correspond with the grooves M. The door is cast with agroove, G, in its rear face, with a recess, R, at the lower end of thegroove.

C is the catch-pin,of cast-iron, being at one end a cylinder, with arounded and beveled head, and at the other end a smaller cylinder, (bothcast in one piece,) the larger one-so as to leave a shoulder, againstwhich the spring D presses, and forces the rounded head into the grooveG in the cap B, the head of the clogged by oil and waste.

catch-pin so shaped that it keeps the groove G and the recess R clearand free from being D is a spiral spring, made of any suitable metal. His a vcylindrical chamber in the axle-box casting, into which the largerend of the catch -pin lits loosely. At the bottom of this chamber is asmaller cylindrical chamber, I, into which the smaller end of thecatch-pin iits loosely. Thecombination of chambers H I is called thecatch-chamber.77 The spring D acts between the shoulder or oiset K inthe catch-chamber and the shoulder L on the catch-pin.

When the door is raised, as in Fig. l, the spring presses the catch-pininto the recess R at the end of thegroove G in the door B, and thusprevents the cap or door from falling or shaking out. The groove G andrecess R are connected by curved surfaces, so that when sufficientdownward force is applied to the cap the catch-pin is forced back, andallows the cap or door to descend. When the cap ascends or descends, thehead of the. catchpin is so shaped, and the action is such, that thegroove G and recess R are kept clear andV free from being clogged by oiland waste. If the cap is left raised, wholly or partially, it is soconstructed that the motion or movement of the car will cause the cap ordoor to descend, so as to close it completely.

My improvement is such, and the box is so constructed, that, should itever become necessary to remove the cap or cover entirely, the same canbe done by simply pressing the catch-pin back into the catch-chambersufficiently to allow the cap to be pulled out.

I am aware of the patents granted to J. B. Sutherland of May 16, 1871,and the one to Ellis St Nelson of February 20, 1877 but they are open toobjection. In both, bolts, nuts, and screws are usedand required, whichoftenwork loose, causing the loss of the cap or cover, and entailing acontinual expense iu replacing them. In the patent of Ellis & Nelson thebolt C is liable to become clogged by the waste or packing in the box,and if it is desired to remove the cap, time is consumed in unscrewingthe bolt. n

In my improvement all of these objections are met and removed by theabsence or bolts, v

2. The box A, catch-pin C, spiral spring D, and catch-chamber H I, incombination With cap B, provided with recess R and groove G, al1constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described4 andshown.

' J. A. P. vAUcLAIN.

Witnesses:

HARVEY BRADFORD, DAVID GARsTAlRs.

